The bridge, with approaches, is approximately 6 km (3.7 mi) long. When the project began, it was designated as the "Nuns' Island Bridge" because it crosses over Nuns' Island. In 1958, it was officially named the Champlain Bridge in honour of the explorer Samuel de Champlain, who founded Quebec City in 1608.

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The Champlain Bridge project was undertaken in 1955 and construction proceeded between 1957 and 1962. The bridge carries six lanes of vehicle traffic; three in each direction. During rush hour one lane of those heading off the island in the morning, and onto the island in the evening, is used as a reserved bus lane for buses to be able to head in the opposite direction. The bridge was opened to traffic in stages as the approaches were completed between June, 1962 and September, 1964. It was subsequently connected to the Bonaventure Expressway, which is part of the north approach to the bridge. The expressway was opened to traffic on April 21, 1967 Approximately 49 million vehicles cross the Champlain Bridge every year, and 196 million people making it one of the busiest bridges in the world.

Total length of crossing complex: 14.5 km (9 mi)

Total bridge length including approaches: 7,412 m (24,318 ft)

Length: abutment to abutment: 3,440 m (11,290 ft)

Link of viaduct to Section 1: 2,195 m (7,201 ft)

Center main cantilevered span: 215 m (705 ft)

Wellington Street approach: 365 m (1,198 ft)

Bonaventure Expressway: 4,573 m (15,003 ft)

Just upstream from the bridge is an ice boom, the Champlain Bridge Ice Control Structure.

The portion of the bridge that crosses the Saint Lawrence proper is a multi-span viaduct.

On August 17, 1955, federal Transport Minister George Marler first announced the planned construction of a new bridge connecting Montreal to the South Shore via Nun's Island. The city's existing bridges (Victoria, Jacques Cartier and Honoré Mercier) had become inadequate to support the amount of traffic that carried residents from the growing South Shore suburbs into Montréal.

The National Harbours Board was placed in charge of the project. Through several lengthy meetings and consultations in the fall of 1955, the location for the bridge and its approaches were selected. Originally, the plan had been to build the bridge with only 4 lanes, with room for further expansion to 6 lanes. During the design phase, however, it was decided to go with an initial 6-lane design immediately.

The bridge was opened on June 29, 1962. At the time, the bridge had only one approach from Montreal, via Wellington Street. The section of the bridge that includes the approaches to and from Atwater Street and La Vérendrye Boulevard were opened two years later, on December 7, 1964.

In 1967, the final approach to the bridge on the Montréal side was completed when the Bonaventure Expressway was opened to traffic.[3]

A $0.25 toll ($0.08 if paid with tokens) was charged to finance the $35 million cost of the Champlain Bridge. The toll was collected until 1990, when the Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated (JCCBI), which took over jurisdiction of the bridge a dozen years earlier, removed the toll plaza.[4] Currently, a new toll project exists which may result in booths returning to the predetermined spaces on Ile-des-Soeurs, so that drivers can be charged for entering and exiting Montréal. The toll will not be higher than $2.00 at the beginning.[citation needed]

On September 20, 2007, a major French-language Montreal daily, Le Journal de Montréal, published a story about federal government plans to build a new 10-lane span next to Champlain Bridge, rather than face the increasing maintenance cost of the aging structure.[5] Federal minister Lawrence Cannon confirmed that his ministry is seriously considering the prospect of a new bridge.[6]

In October 2007, Novaroute, a private firm, revealed a plan to construct a two-story tunnel bridge under the Saint Lawrence River that would also collect tolls based on the time period. In Novaroute's plan, one level would be for buses and trains while the second would be for all other vehicles except tractor-trailers. The tunnel would be built under a public-private partnership and take five years to complete.[7]

In August 2008, the Transport Canada, the federal ministry of transportation, confirmed that studies and scenarios were ordered to build a new bridge within 10 or 15 years. The new structure would likely be 8 to 10 lanes wide and include a light rail train to connect the South Shore to Montreal.[8][9]

On January 27, 2009, the Government of Canada announced in its 2009 Economic Action Plan that it would be allocating $212 million to renew the bridge.

On March 18, 2011, the Government of Canada announced $158 million will be spent on a major repair and maintenance program as concerns mount it is at risk of collapse. Montreal's La Presse newspaper cited two leaked engineering reports prepared for a federal bridge agency that suggest sections of the structure are in a severe state of deterioration that will be progress exponentially. The report concludes that a partial or complete collapse of the span should not be ruled out.[10]

On October 5, 2011, The Honourable Denis Lebel announced that the Canadian Federal Government will proceed with a new bridge across the St. Lawrence River in Montreal.[11][12]

On December 1, 2013, Federal Transportation Minister Denis Lebel announced that the replacement Champlain Bridge would be finished by 2018.[13] The rapid development precluded a call for an international design competition, and the designer, Poul Ove Jensen, had already been selected by the government. In the first week of November, 2014, it was reported that the Canadian federal government would name the new bridge the Maurice Richard Bridge in honour of Montreal Canadiens ice hockey player Maurice 'the Rocket' Richard.[14] On November 6, 2014, Lebel said the government was dropping Richard's name from consideration, due to a request from his family.[15]

Montreal's climate subjects the Champlain Bridge to wintry cold, snowfall, and windy conditions, all of which accelerate damage to the bridge. Because of the potential danger from ice accumulation, the bridge has been salted every season for decades. But salt attacks both the concrete and steel rebar used in girders, pylons, and other parts.

In 2010, JCCBI — the Federal agency that oversees the structure — retained international engineering firm Delcan to carry out an expert study of the bridge's structural health. The firm returned a carefully worded report entitled, "The Future of the Champlain Bridge Crossing". In the Executive Summary, the bridge was said to be "functionally deficient" for both current and long-term traffic demands, and showing "significant deterioration".[16] One finding suggested that the Champlain Bridge is in "very much poorer condition than would be typical" for comparable bridges. Delcan concluded that the bridge had "many deficiencies" and, even in light of the methodical inspection and rehabilitation of the structure undertaken by its owners, that continued operation "entails some risks that cannot altogether be quantified".

In November 2013, a crack was discovered in a critical part of the superstructure. One lane was closed immediately and emergency repair plans were put in place. During preparation, the crack enlarged and a second lane was closed.[17]